# How long can cigars last in a plastic bag or tupperware?



## loki993

I'm reseasoning my humi right now and It got me to wondering. 

How long could cigars actually last in a plastic bag or tupperware? I know a couple weeks is probally fine, but I was wondering as a long term storage option. 

Assuming obviously that the humidity is kept correct and all that. 

Is it really actually necessary at all to have a humi, obviously cigars in a humi look miles better that a bunch laying around in plastic bags lol. 

Its just total curiosity, trust me I'm not going the be the guy that pioneers a new craze of ziplock bag cigar storage. 

Would there be any ill effects of storing them long term that way?


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## Hall25

From what I have read alot of guys us tupperware for storage...but I am not sure for how long.

JH


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## ducman

Tupperware can be used for permanent storage.


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## BKDW

I like tupperware.

I like tupperware a lot.

I like ziplock bags. 

I like ziplock bags a lot.


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## tiger187126

as long as you keep the RH in them. i have a tube that i keep around so when i have to move something to a plastic bag or tupperware it keeps it dead set at 65.


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## bpegler

Tupperware can be used for as long as you wish with proper RH. A better option might be a cooler which can be as large as you like and with beads holds humidity perfectly. I used coolidors for years.


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## BKDW

In certain respects, tupperware (in my experience) seems to maintain humidity more consistently than wooden humidors. If you are short on $$$ an don't care about aesthetics, tupperware is a good route. Cigars can last a darn long time in tupperware.
I have been consistently using tupperware for the last couple years. They MOST DEFINITELY get the job done.


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## loki993

Cool, good to know.


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## BKDW

Also:

For humidification, I use cat litter (silicon, unscented). People may laugh, but I swear by it. It is also cheap and plentiful. You can "teach" the litter to maintain the humidity YOU SPECIFY. In other words, if you want 70%, you can "teach" it to humidify at that humidity.

tupperware+cat litter= DAMN GOOD STUFF (and CHEAP).

Ziplocks are good, but obviously they are more fragile than tupperware. I use small ziplocks to put in my "taught" cat litter. I use larger ziplocks as "travel humidors" that I keep in my bag with the smaller cat litter ziplock. Trust me, they keep my cigars VERY well.

When I send out cigars to other BOTL, I always use ziplocks and cat litter....rest assured, they can not pick up the package for *MONTHS* and their cigars will still be fine.


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## 1029henry

I have since ditched my 3 humidors, and now store my smokes in 3 Rubbermaid containers, as well as an Igloo cooler. The humidors had problems retaining RH. Just put some Spanish cedar in your Tupperware and you will be good to go for a long time.


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## BKDW

1029henry said:


> I have since ditched my 3 humidors, and now store my smokes in 3 Rubbermaid containers, as well as an Igloo cooler. The humidors had problems retaining RH. Just put some Spanish cedar in your Tupperware and you will be good to go for a long time.


Hell yeah!

I pretty much no longer use my wooden humidor....

I always said that my next humidor will be a walk-in. Until then, tupperware all the way.


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## loki993

BKDW said:


> Also:
> 
> For humidification, I use cat litter (silicon, unscented). People may laugh, but I swear by it. It is also cheap and plentiful. You can "teach" the litter to maintain the humidity YOU SPECIFY. In other words, if you want 70%, you can "teach" it to humidify at that humidity.
> 
> tupperware+cat litter= DAMN GOOD STUFF (and CHEAP).
> 
> Ziplocks are good, but obviously they are more fragile than tupperware. I use small ziplocks to put in my "taught" cat litter. I use larger ziplocks as "travel humidors" that I keep in my bag with the smaller cat litter ziplock. Trust me, they keep my cigars VERY well.
> 
> When I send out cigars to other BOTL, I always use ziplocks and cat litter....rest assured, they can not pick up the package for *MONTHS* and their cigars will still be fine.


Cool

See thats the one thing I dont get about the kitty litter. How exactly do you teach it? What exactly does it involve. I said in another thread Im going with the HF beads to start becasue right now I need set and forget. However when I inevitibly outgrow my current humi, which seems like it could actually happen sooner rather then later, I wouldt mind trying the KL, I mean basicaly the same stuff, but 1/8 the price.


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## fivespdcat

BKDW said:


> Also:
> 
> For humidification, I use cat litter (silicon, unscented). People may laugh, but I swear by it. It is also cheap and plentiful. You can "teach" the litter to maintain the humidity YOU SPECIFY. In other words, if you want 70%, you can "teach" it to humidify at that humidity.


Manny out of curiosity, how do you "teach" kitty litter? Do you just use PG Solution?


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## BKDW

fivespdcat said:


> Manny out of curiosity, how do you "teach" kitty litter? Do you just use PG Solution?


water works fine...never used PG

Basically it is a matter of adjusting how much water you put in the litter.

Too little and it stays dry and actually works to DEPLETE your humidor of humidity. .

A good method is to take the litter that you plan on using and moisten *half *of it (Tony Brooklyn said it, I think).Then take the other dry litter and mix it. Add water as needed. Let the litter sit for some hours (use ziplock bag) with a hygrometer. Read the hygrometer.... if it is too low, add a little more water. If it is too high, add a little dry litter. Now, keep in mind that there are other factors such as how many cigars you have, type of humidor, etc that you must consider.

Personally, I do things by the feel and look. I no longer use a hygrometer. I know my litter looks a certain way when it is just right. What I like doing is CRUSHING the litter in the palms of my hand while I add the water. For whatever reason, that seems to help the litter maintain humidity longer (more surface area??).


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## BKDW

Also, 

After I crush and add water, I let it sit in the ziplock bag for a bit. I look at the bottom of the bag. 

If you see a collection of water (even a small one), then it's too wet-- you need to add more dry litter. DO NOT put that in your humi..I could result in mold. I learned this lesson some time ago. You want it completely absorbed, yet very moist. 

Think of sand at a beach that the tide has just risen over.


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## fivespdcat

BKDW said:


> water works fine...never used PG
> 
> Basically it is a matter of adjusting how much water you put in the litter.
> 
> Too little and it stays dry and actually works to DEPLETE your humidor of humidity. .
> 
> A good method is to take the litter that you plan on using and moisten *half *of it (Tony Brooklyn said it, I think).Then take the other dry litter and mix it. Add water as needed. Let the litter sit for some hours (use ziplock bag) with a hygrometer. Read the hygrometer.... if it is too low, add a little more water. If it is too high, add a little dry litter. Now, keep in mind that there are other factors such as how many cigars you have, type of humidor, etc that you must consider.
> 
> Personally, I do things by the feel and look. I no longer use a hygrometer. I know my litter looks a certain way when it is just right. What I like doing is CRUSHING the litter in the palms of my hand while I add the water. For whatever reason, that seems to help the litter maintain humidity longer (more surface area??).


Great thanks for the info. I'll need this when I set up my humidor bunker in the basement to save me from being taxed to death:mrgreen:


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## gibson_es

tupperware holds better for cigars then most humidors do, as long as there is a little SP in there, and of coarse some sort of humidification defice, humidors are just simply better looking, and givin the see through properties of tupperador, i personally dont suggest having them were the sun can reach them. IE by a window.


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## loki993

Ive wondered. I have a big piece of plexiglas that Ive been wondering what I was gonna do with. 

It had crossed my mind to try and make a humi out of it at one point. 

I had actually though about making a box out of it and the lining the inside with Spanish Cedar. 

I dont know why I got off of that project. I think I may have read somehere that it was better for the sticks to be in something not totally airtight so they could breathe a little. That definitly doesnt seem to be the case though.


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## BKDW

fivespdcat said:


> Great thanks for the info. I'll need this when I set up my humidor bunker in the basement to save me from being taxed to death:mrgreen:


No problem man!


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## loki993

fivespdcat said:


> Great thanks for the info. I'll need this when I set up my humidor bunker in the basement to save me from being taxed to death:mrgreen:


with huge trash bags full of KL the regulate the humidity lol.


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## BKDW

loki993 said:


> with huge trash bags full of KL the regulate the humidity lol.


That's a good idea, actually....


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